A/N: I'm neglecting Spanish revision to update. It's so worth it. Thanks again for the reviews, I do a little happy dance when I get one, no joke. Also, I upped the rating to M to be safe. There's a rather explicit guest appearance in this chapter. Enjoy!
"So, firstly, I thought we could paint each other's nails and discuss the latest gossip, and then we could bake vegan cookies and watch a movie. After that, we can just see where the day takes us."
"Uh, sure. That sounds like fun." Quinn was a little disappointed at the lack of "activities"... unless the "just seeing where the day takes us" meant something! Yes, that had to be it.
Rachel went into her bathroom and returned with a huge crate full of nail varnish while Quinn fired off a quick text to tell her mom that she'd be out all day. "What colour would you like, Quinn? I personally think this shade of green would complement your eyes very well."
"That'd be great, Rach."
Their eyes locked. Quinn found herself getting lost in those intense pools of brown. They were so bright and hopeful, and they made her chest hurt a little. She was glad that she'd be the one to do all of these things that Rachel had missed out on with her for the first time.
Actually, come to think of it, she'd never really done this sort of thing with Brittany and Santana. Their sleepovers had been full of evil plotting and B and S sneaking off to make out, while Quinn would watch a movie alone.
She and Rachel were quite similar, really.
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Rachel was smoothing the second coat onto Quinn's middle finger nail when Quinn blurted out "Are you seeing Finn still? Or Jesse?"
Rachel laughed. "No. I realised that Finn and I would just keep going in a cycle of distrust and making and breaking up. And Jesse is still too obsessed with himself to ever be in a relationship with anyone. So I'm a "ridin' solo", as the phrase goes."
Quinn smiled. "Good. I mean, it's not good that you're single, of course. It's just that those guys were nowhere near good enough for you."
"Well, who is then?"
" Um. I, uh. I don't know. None of the guys I know."
"Whilst I find that flattering, Quinn, I also find it unbelievable. It's still social suicide to be dating me, you know. I'm just a singing freakshow to most of the school."
"Are you kidding? Who wouldn't want to date you? You're beautiful, inside and out. I can understand why people wouldn't want me, but not you. I'm a formerly pregnant ex cheerleader. I'm not anything anymore."
Rachel's mouth popped open in a perfect "O". "Quinn, I'm sure I've said this before, but you're the prettiest girl I've ever met. You're not nothing; you're sweet, kind, and really smart. I'm so happy to call you my friend."
Quinn could feel herself welling up. She jumped at Rachel and wrapped her arms around her, trying to convey all of the feelings she had into the hug, and hoping she'd feel them through the simple contact. "Thank you." She whispered into her ear.
"It's nothing, Quinn." Rachel sighed. Quinn smelled really, really good. Rachel snuggled as close to her as molecularly possible.
They stayed like that for a long time, until suddenly Rachel had a thought. "Quinn?"
"Mmmmmmm?" Quinn mumbled happily.
"I still need to finish painting your nails!"
"Screw my nails!" Quinn growled. She wasn't letting go of Rachel any time soon.
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They unfortunately had to part when Quinn's phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID and her stomach dropped. It was Santana.
"What do you want?"
"Great greeting, Preggo. I'm already so glad I called."
"I'm not. Get to the point, Satan."
"So fucking original. I was going to ask you if you wanted to come hang out with me and B later, but if you're gonna be like that then I won't bother."
"Good, I'm busy anyway."
"Finally got another boyfriend? It's about time."
"No, not that it's any of your business. I'm hanging out with a friend." Quinn could see Rachel beam out of the corner of her eye.
"So you got a girlfriend then? I suspected it all along. My gaydar is finely tuned."
Quinn was sure Rachel heard that. She was giggling.
"No!" She hissed.
"As some old guy said, "Thou doth protest too much". So, who is it, Fagay?"
Rachel was in stitches at that.
"No one! I don't have a girlfriend!"
"Bull to the shit. I can hear some chick laughing in the background. Is she hot? I can usually tell by the voice, I got mad skills. Put me on speaker!"
"No freaking way."
Rachel piped up with "It's fine, Quinn. I'll talk to her."
"... Okay then." Quinn said reluctantly.
"Hello Santana!" Rachel said brightly.
"Holy shit! Is that Berry? I never would have guessed that she'd be the one to unpress your lemon."
"Santana..." Quinn growled in a warning voice.
"What? So, how's the innocent little Catholic girl in the sack, Frodo? And does she enjoy your "Man Hands"?"
Rachel blushed maroon. "I, uhm, wouldn't know."
"It sounds like she wants to find out, Quinn. Imma leave you alone so you two can get your mack on. Remember what I was doing with my tongue that time you walked in on me and Britt in the locker room? You should try it. B couldn't walk straight for 3 days. See ya!"
Quinn was speechless. I'm going to kill her.
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The atmosphere in the room became very awkward after Santana's crude (yet strangely informative) phone call. After 5 minutes of Quinn staring at the phone in her hand murderously and Rachel staring at Quinn to make sure she wasn't about to burst a blood vessel or something, Rachel tentatively suggested baking the cookies now. Quinn seemed to brighten up at that and agreed.
Rachel began to gather up ingredients from the cupboards of her kitchen. Quinn cleared her throat and said "Look, Rach. I'm sorry about Santana. She's crazy."
Rachel smiled. "I know. You don't need to apologise for her, I know how lewd she can be."
"But still... she was way out of line. She was downright inappropriate."
"Yes, but I suppose it's part of her charm."
"Never call her charming to her face; you might not live to tell the tale!"
Giggling, Rachel replied "I'll remember that. On a more serious note, if you ever need to talk about your sexuality to anyone, feel free to have a word with my dads or myself. They're very understanding, of course, and I have an extensive supply of pamphlets."
After what felt like an hour of silence Quinn responded. "Ooooookay..."
Rachel's bluntness was really disturbing.
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After the cookie mixture had been made, Rachel turned away for a minute to fetch the oven trays. Quinn sneakily dipped a spoon into the bowl and into her mouth.
When Rachel turned back, she affixed Quinn with a glare. "It's very unhygienic to eat out of the bowl, you know."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"You most certainly do. I can tell when you're lying, Fabray. And you have a telltale spot of cookie dough on your lip."
Quinn reached up to her face. "Where?" She said in confusion.
"Right about there." Rachel said, pointing to the offending blob.
"I still can't feel it, Rach. Could you get it for me?"
"S-sure..."
Rachel leaned in and shakily wiped Quinn's bottom lip with her thumb, being much slower than she needed to be. She could feel that Quinn was breathing heavily. The texture of it was so unbearably soft and smooth. Rachel couldn't help but imagine moving her hand to the back of her neck and pulling her in and claiming her lips with her own.
Quinn was unconsciously staring at Rachel's lips now, and slowly leaning closer. Just a couple more inches...
"Hey kids! What're you cooking up?"
Hiram Berry could not have picked a worse time to enter the room, and he realised it as soon as he was greeted by death stares from his daughter and her new BFF. "I'll come back later." He said, with a wink and thumbs up to Quinn.
Rachel groaned in pure embarrassment and frustration. Why, why?
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When the cookies were baking in the oven, Quinn perused Rachel's DVD collection. As she expected, there were many musicals, from Blood Brothers to Wicked. There were also a fair number of chick flicks and rom coms. The film that caught her eye was Black Swan – it was out on DVD fairly recently and she didn't get the chance to see it at the cinema. Quinn plucked out the box and took it into the Berry's front room.
Rachel was already curled up on the sofa. Quinn sat down next to her. Now, there was that age old dilemma; how do you sit next to someone you like-like in a movie?
Firstly, Quinn scooted close to Rachel, so that their legs were touching. As the movie started to get a little creepy, Quinn snaked her arm up so it was resting on the back of the sofa. What do I do now? Quinn thought I can't just leave it here. I need to put my arm around her, or she'll think I'm a coward. Man up, Fabray! Or on second thoughts, don't.
Quinn decided to try the classic manoeuvre that teenage boys had been using for ever. The old yawn-arm-around trick. She let out a hugely exaggerated fake yawn that sounded more like she was howling, and put her arm around Rachel's shoulder.
Rachel jolted a little at the contact, but settled down and rested her head on Quinn's shoulder. From the stairs Quinn was sure she heard an "Awww!" that sounded suspiciously like Hiram, and a "shush!" that must have come from Rachel's other dad.
The movie was getting deep into the plot now. The main character was beginning to go off the rails, and was out in a club with her female rival. All of a sudden, they were kissing in the back of a cab, and then they were watching the rival go down on the main ballerina. Quinn gulped. Not only were both of the actresses very attractive, but the situation they were in bore some resemblances to her and Rachel's. She meant in that they used to be in competition with each other over Finn, of course. Not that there'd be any kissing... or anything else...well, yet mused Quinn.
As the movie came to its tragic climax, Quinn felt a tear roll down Rachel's cheek and onto Quinn's shoulder. "Hey, don't cry... it's just a film!" soothed Quinn.
"I know, I know. It's just that I can identify with Nina's striving for absolute perfection, and it was so sad that when she reached it she... well, you know." Quinn reached for a tissue from the box on the coffee table, and wiped her tears away.
"I remember when you did this for me at the prom." Quinn smiled ruefully. "It's about time I returned the favour."
"Thanks." Rachel sniffled, smiling right back now.
"You don't need to worry about perfection, Rach. You're pretty damn close now."
Rachel's eyes shimmered with unwept tears and emotion. It felt right to lean in slowly so that her nose that she'd worried about for so long was touching the nose that she'd so desperately wanted and their lips were close to touching and oh god she still smells so so good...
Beeeeeeeeeeeeep! Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!
The freaking smoke alarm.
"Oh my god, the cookies!" Rachel jumped away, and Quinn heard her frantically shutting off the oven and wafting the stupid, stupid alarm with a towel.
Quinn planted her face on the sofa. Why couldn't today just go right?
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Quinn's mom rang her after they'd binned the blackened cookies (Rachel remarked that they were probably better off in the bin; vegan, gluten free cookies were not very tasty anyway), saying that she needed some help grocery shopping and she would drop by and pick her up in a few minutes. Quinn was disappointed to be leaving.
They said their goodbyes on the porch.
"I had a really good time today, Quinn." Rachel smiled another one of her genuine smiles; the ones Quinn thought were reserved just for her.
"I did too. I'll bring your clothes back tomorrow – washed of course." Rachel silently wondered if they'd smell as good as Quinn did. Quinn leaned in once again and settled for giving Rachel a long kiss on the cheek. Today was just not meant to be the day of their first real kiss. One day, hopefully soon, everything would go right.
Quinn's mom hooted her horn.
"Until tomorrow, milady!" Quinn said gallantly, with a tip of an imaginary hat.
Rachel faked a swoon. "You're silly!" she giggled.
"And you love it!" Quinn gave her a wink and disappeared into her mom's small car.
Today is definitely a contender for the best day of my life so far thought Rachel as she watched Quinn fade into the distance.
A/N 2: Loooong chapter. You probably all hate me now for stopping the kiss not once, but twice in one chapter xD I promise you won't have to wait much longer for it. I don't intend on this story being more than 10 chapters. I'm just kind of seeing where my Faberry muse takes me. I'm pretty sure Santana (and possibly Brittany) will make another appearance, mainly because she's just so much fun to write! Anyway, thanks for reviewing/faving and stuff, the amount of emails I'm getting are making me insanely happy!